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ZIONIST  ESSAYS  No.  1 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM 
HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT. 

By  LOUIS  D.  BRANDEIS 


PUBLISHED  BY 

The  Zionist  Essays  Publication  Committee 

44  East  23rd  St,  New  York  City 

1915  —  5675 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM 

How  to  Solve  It 

By  LOUIS   D.  BRANDEIS 

THE  suffering  of  the  Jews  due  to  injustices  continuing 
throughout  nearly  twenty  centuries  is  the  greatest 
tragedy  in  history.  Never  was  the  aggregate  of  such 
suffering  larger  than  today.  Never  were  the  injustices  more 
glaring.  Yet  the  present  is  preeminently  a  time  for  hopeful- 
ness. The  current  of  world  thought  is  at  last  preparing  the 
way  for  our  attaining  justice.  The  war  is  developing  oppor- 
tunities which  may  make  possible  the  solution  of  the  Jewish 
Problem.  But  to  avail  of  these  opportunities  we  must  under- 
stand both  them  and  ourselves.  We  must  recognize  and  ac- 
cept facts.  We  must  consider  our  course  with  statesmanlike 
calm.  We  must  pursue  resolutely  the  course  we  shall  decide 
upon ;  and  be  ever  ready  to  make  the  sacrifices  which  a  great 
cause  demands.     Thus  only  can  liberty  be  won. 

What  the  Problem   Is. 

For  us  the  Jewish  Problem  means  this:  How  can  wo 
secure  for  Jews,  wherever  they  may  live,  the  same  rights  and 
Opportunities  enjoyed  by  non-Jews?  How  can  we  secure  for 
the  world  the  full  contribution  which  Jews  can  make,  if  un- 
hampered by  artificial  limitations?  . 

The  problem  has  two  aspects:     That  of  the  individual 

in 


2*29 


TEE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

Jew — and  that  of  Jews  collectively.  Obviously,  no  individual 
should  be  subjected  anywhere,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he 
is  a  Jew,  to  a  denial  of  any  common  right  or  opportunity  en- 
joyed by  non-Jews.  But  Jews  collectively  should  likewise  en- 
joy the  same  right  and  opportunity  to  live  and  develop  as  do 
other  groups  of  people.  This  right  of  development  on  tho 
part  of  the  group  is  essential  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  rights 
by  the  individual.  For  the  individual  is  dependent  for  his 
development  (and  his  happiness)  in  large  part  upon  the  de- 
velopment of  the  group  of  whch  he  forms  a  part.  We  can 
scarcely  conceive  of  an  individual  German  or  Frenchman  liv- 
ing and  developing  without  some  relation  to  the  contempor- 
ary German  or  French  life  and  culture.  And  since  death  is 
not  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  life,  the  solution  of  the  Jew- 
ish Problem  necessarily  involves  the  continued  existence  of 
the  Jews  as  Jews. 

Councils  of  Rabbis  and  others  have  undertaken  at  times 
to  prescribe  by  definition  that  only  those  shall  be  deemed  Jew3 
who  professedly  adhere  to  the  orthodox  or  reformed  faith. 
But  in  the  connection  in  which  we  are  considering  the  term, 
it  is  not  in  the  power  of  any  single  body  of  Jews — or  indeed  of 
all  Jews  collectively — to  establish  the  effective  definition.  The 
meaning  of  the  word  Jewish  in  the  term  Jewish  Problem 
must  be  accepted  as  co-extensive  with  the  disabilities  which 
it  is  our  problem  to  remove.  It  is  the  non-Jews  who  create 
the  disabilities  and  in  so  doing  give  definition  to  the  term  Jew. 
Those  disabilities  extend  substantially  to  all  of  Jewish  blood. 
The  disabilities  do  not  end  with  a  renunciation  of  faith, 
however  sincere.  They  do  not  end  with  the  elimination, 
however  complete,  of  external  Jewish  mannerisms.  The  dis- 
abilities do  not  end  ordinarily  until  the  Jewish  blood  has 
been  so  thoroughly  diluted  by  repeated  intermarriages  as  to 
result  in  practically  obliterating  the  Jew. 

And  we  Jews,  by  our  own  acts,  give  a  like  definition  to 
the  term  Jew.  When  men  and  women  of  Jewish  blood  suffer 
— because  of  that  fact — and  even  if  they  suffer  from 
quite  different  causes — our  sympathy  and  our  help  goes  out 
to  them  instinctively  in  whatever  country  they  may  live  and 
without  inquiring  into  the  shades  of  their  belief  or  unbelief. 
When  those  of  Jewish  blood  exhibit  moral  or  intellectual  su- 
periority, genius  or  special  talent,  we  feel  pride  in  them, 
even  if  they  have  abjured  the  faith  like  Spinoza,  Marx,  Di3- 

[2] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

raeli  or  Heine.  Despite  the  meditations  of  pundits  or  the  de- 
crees of  councils,  our  own  instincts  and  acts,  and  those  ot 
others,  have  defined  for  us  the  term  Jew. 

Liberalism  and  Anti-Semitism. 

Half  a  century  ago  the  belief  was  still  general  that  Jew- 
ish disabilities  would  disappear  before  growing  liberalism. 
When  religious  toleration  was  proclaimed,  the  solution  of  the 
Jewish  Problem  seemed  in  sight.  When  the  so-called  rights 
of  man  became  widely  recognized,  and  the  equal  right  of  all 
citizens  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness  began  to 
be  enacted  into  positive  law,  the  complete  emancipation  of 
the  Jew  seemed  at  hand.  The  concrete  gains  through  liberal- 
ism were  indeed  large.  Equality  before  the  law  was  estab- 
lished throughout  the  western  hemisphere.  The  Ghetto  walls 
crumbled ;  the  ball  and  chain  of  restraint  were  removed  in 
central  and  western  Europe.  Compared  with  the  cruel  dis- 
crimination to  which  Jews  are  now  subjected  in  Russia  and 
Roumania,  their  advanced  condition  in  other  parts  of  Europe 
seems  almost  ideal. 

But  Anti-Jewish  prejudice  was  not  exterminated  even  in 
those  countries  of  Europe  in  which  the  triumph  of  civil  lib- 
eity  and  democracy  extended  fully  to  Jews  "the  rights  of 
man."  The  Anti-Semitic  movement  arose  in  Germany  a  year 
after  the  granting  of  universal  suffrage.  It  broke  out  violent- 
ly in  France,  and  culminated  in  the  Dreyfus  case,  a  century 
after  the  French  Revolution  had  brought  "emancipation."  It 
expressed  itself  in  England  through  the  Aliens  Act,  within  a 
few  years  after  the  last  of  Jewish  disabilities  had  been  there 
removed  by  law.  And  in  the  United  States  the  Saratoga  in- 
cident reminded  us,  long  ago,  that  we  too  have  a  Jewish 
question. 

The  disease  is  universal  and  endemic.  There  is,  of 
course,  a  wide  difference  between  the  Russian  disabilities  with 
their  Pale  of  Settlement,  their  denial  of  opportunity  for  edu- 
cation and  choice  of  occupation,  and  their  recurrent  pogroms, 
and  the  German  disabilities  curbing  university,  bureaucratic 
and  military  careers.  There  is  a  wide  difference  also  between 
these  German  disabilities  and  the  mere  social  disabilities  i( 
other  lands.  But  some  of  those  now  suffering  from  \he  severe 
disabilities  imposed  by  Russia  and  Roumania  are  descendants 

[3] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

of  men  and  women  who  in  centuries  before  our  modern  lib- 
eralism enjoyed  both  legal  and  social  equality  in  Spain  and 
Southern  France.  The  manifestations  of  the  Jewish  Problem 
vary  in  ihe  different  countries,  and  at  different  periods  in  the 
same  country,  according  to  the  prevailing  degree  of  enlight- 
enment and  other  pertinent  conditions.  Yet  the  differences, 
however  wide,  are  merely  in  degree  and  not  in  kind.  The 
Jewish  Problem  is  single  and  universal.  But  it  is  not  neces- 
sarily eternal.    It  may  be  solved. 

Democracy  and  Nationality. 

Why  is  it  that  liberalism  has  failed  to  eliminate  the  An- 
ti-Jewish prejudice?  It  is  because  the  liberal  movement  has 
not  yet  brought  full  liberty.  Enlightened  countries  grant  to 
the  individual  equality  before  the  law;  but  they  fail  still  to 
recognize  the  equality  of  whole  peoples  or  nationalities.  We 
seek  to  protect  as  individuals  those  constituting  a  minority; 
but  we  fail  to  realize  that  protection  cannot  be  complete  un- 
less croup  equality  also  is  recognized. 

Deeply  imbedded  in  every  people  is  the  desire  for  full 
development — the  longing,  as  Mazzini  phrased  it  "to  elaborate 
and  express  their  idea,  to  contribute  their  stone  also  to  the 
pyramid  of  history."  Nationality  like  democracy  has  been 
one  of  the  potent  forces  making  for  man's  advance  during 
the  past  hundred  years.  The  assertion  of  nationality  has 
infused  whole  peoples  with  hope,  manhood  and  self-respect. 
it  has  ennobled  and  made  purposeful  millions  of  lives.  It 
offered  them  a  future,  and  in  doing  so  revived  and  capitalized 
all  that  was  valuable  in  their  past.  The  assertion  of  nation- 
ality raised  Ireland  from  the  slough  of  despondency.  It 
roused  Southern  Slavs  to  heroic  deeds.  It  created  gallant 
Belgium.  It  freed  Greece.  It  gave  us  united  Italy.  It  man- 
ifested itself  even  among  free  peoples — like  the  Welsh  who 
had  no  grievance,  but  who  gave  expression  to  their  nationality 
through  the  revival  of  the  old  Cymric  tongue.  Each  of  these 
peoples  developed  because,  as  Mazzini  said,  they  were  enabled 
to  proclaim  "to  the  world  that  they  also  live,  think,  love  and 
labor  for  the  benefit  of  all." 

In  the  past  it  has  been  generally  assumed  that  the  full 
development  of  one  people  necessarily  involved  its  domination 
over  others.    Strong  nationalities  are  apt  to  become  convinced 

[4] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

that  by  such  domination  only,  does  civilization  advance. 
Strong  nationalities  assume  their  own  superiority,  and  come 
to  believe  that  they  possess  the  divine  right  to  subject  other 
peoples  to  their  sway.  Soon  the  belief  in  the  existence  of 
such  a  right  becomes  converted  into  a  conviction  that  a  duty 
exists  to  enforce  it.  Wars  of  aggrandizement  follow  as  a 
natural  result  of  this  belief. 

This  attitude  of  certain  nationalities  is  the  exact  corre- 
lative of  the  position  which  was  generally  assumed  by  the 
strong  in  respect  to  other  individuals  before  democracy  be- 
came a  common  possession.  The  struggles  of  the  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  centuries  both  in  peace  and  in  war  were  de- 
voted largely  to  overcoming  that  position  as  to  individuals. 
In  establishing  the  equal  right  of  every  person  to  develop- 
ment, it  became  clear  that  equal  opportunity  for  all  involves 
this  necessary  limitation:  Each  man  may  develop  himself 
so  far,  but  only  so  far,  as  his  doing  so  will  not  interfere  with 
the  exercise  of  a  like  right  by  all  others.  Thus  liberty  came 
to  mean  the  right  to  enjoy  life,  to  acquire  property,  to  pursue 
happiness  in  such  manner  and  to  such  extent  as  the  exercise 
of  the  right  in  each  is  consistent  with  the  exercise  of  a  like 
right  by  every  other  of  our  fellow  citizens.  Liberty  thus  de- 
fined underlies  twentieth  century  democracy.  Liberty  thu3 
defined  exists  in  a  large  part  of  the  western  world.  And  even 
where  this  equal  right  of  each  individual  has  not  yet  been 
accepted  as  a  political  right,  its  ethical  claim  is  gaining  rec- 
ognition. Democracy  rejected  the  proposal  of  the  superman 
who  should  rise  through  sacrifice  of  the  many.  It  insists 
that  the  full  development  of  each  individual  is  not  only  a 
right,  but  a  duty  to  society:  and  that  our  best  hope  for  civil- 
ization lies  not  in  uniformity,  but  in  wide  differentiation. 

The  movements  of  the  last  century  have  proved  that 
whole  peoples  have  individuality  no  less  marked  than  that 
of  the  single  person;  that  the  individuality  of  a  people  is  ir- 
repressible, and  that  the  misnamed  internationalism  which 
seeks  the  obliteration  of  nationalities  or  peoples  is  unattain- 
able. The  new  nationalism  proclaims  that  each  race  or  peo- 
ple, like  each  individual,  has  a  right  and  duty  to  develop, 
and  that  only  through  such  differentiated  development  will 
high  civilization  be  attained.  Not  until  these  principles  or 
nationalism,  like  those  of  democracy  are  generally  accepted, 
will  liberty   be  fully  attained,   and  minorities  be  secure   in 

[5] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

their  rights.  But  there  is  ground  for  hope  that  the  estab- 
lishment of  these  principles  will  come  as  one  of  the  compen- 
sations of  the  present  war;  and  with  it,  the  solution  of  the 
Jewish  Problem. 

Nations  and  Nationality. 

The  difference  between  a  nation  and  a  nationality  is 
clear;  but  it  is  not  always  observed.  Likeness  between  mem- 
bers is  the  essence  of  nationality;  but  the  members  of  a  na- 
tion may  be  very  different.  A  nation  may  be  composed  of 
many  nationalities,  as  some  of  the  most  successful  nations 
are.  An  instance  of  this  is  the  British  nation,  with  its  div- 
ision into  English,  Scotch,  Welsh,  and  Irish  at  home;  with 
the  French  in  Canada;  and,  throughout  the  Empire,  scores 
of  other  nationalities.  Other  examples  are  furnished  by  the 
Swiss  nation  with  its  German,  French  and  Italian  sections; 
by  the  Belgian  nation  composed  of  Flemings  and  Walloons; 
and  by  the  American^ nation  which  comprises  nearly  all  the 
white  nationalities.  (The  unity  of  a  nationality  is  a  fact  of 
nature.  The  unity  into  a  nation  is  largely  the  work  of  man. 
The  false  doctrine  that  nation  and  nationality  must  be  made 
co-extensive  is  the  cause  of  some  of  our  greatest  tragedies. 
It  is,  in  large  part,  the  cause  also  of  the  present  war.  It  has 
led,  on  the  one  hand,  to  cruel,  futile  attempts  at  enforced 
assimilation,  like  the  Russianizing  of  Finland  and  Poland, 
and  the  Prussianizing  of  Posen.  Sehleswig-Holstein,  and  Al- 
sace-Lorraine. It  has  led,  on  the  other  hand,  to  those  Pan- 
ietic  movements  which  are  a  cloak  for  territorial  ambitions. 
As  a  nation  may  thrive  though  composed  of  many  nation- 
alities, so  a  nationality  may  thrive  though  forming  parts 
of  several  nations.  The  essential  in  either  case  is  recognition 
of  the  equal   rights  of  each  nationality. 

Jewish  Nationality. 

W.  Allison  Philips  recently  defined  nationality  as  "an 
extensive  aggregate  of  persons,  conscious  of  a  community  of 
sentiments,  experiences,  or  qualities  which  make  them  feel 
themselves  a  distinct  people."  And  he  adds:  "If  we  examine 
the  composition  of  the  several  nationalities  we  find  these  ele- 
ments:    Race,  language,  reli/rion,  common  habitat,  common 

[•] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

conditions,  mode  of  life  and  manners,  political  association. 
The  elements  are,  however,  never  all  present  at  the  same  time, 
and  none  of  them  is  essential."  *  *  *  "A  common  habitat 
and  common  conditions  are  doubtless  powerful  influences  at 
times  in  determining  nationality;  but  what  part  do  they  play 
in  that  of  the  Jews  or  the  Greeks,  or  the  Irish  in  dispersion ?" 

See  how  this  high  authority  assumes  without  question  that 
the  Jews  are,  despite  their  dispersion,  a  distinct  nationality; 
and  he  groups  us  with  the  Greeks  or  the  Irish — two  other 
peoples  of  marked  individuality.  Can  it  be  doubted  that  we 
Jews — aggregating  14,000,000  people  are  "an  extensive  ag- 
gregate of  persons;"  that  we  are  ''conscious  of  a  community 
of  sentiments,  experiences  and  qualities  which  make  us  feel 
ourselves  a  distinct  people,"  whether  we  admit  it  or  not? 

It  is  no  answer  to  this  evidence  of  nationality  to  declare 
that  the  Jews  are  not  an  absolutely  pure  race.  There  has, 
of  course,  been  some  intermixture  of  foreign  blood  in  the  3000 
years  which  constitute  our  historic  period.  But,  owing  to 
persecution  and  prejudice,  the  intermarriages  with  non-Jews 
which  occurred,  have  resulted  merely  in  taking  away  many 
from  the  Jewish  community.  Intermarriage  has  brought  few 
additions.  Therefore  the  percentage  of  foreign  blood  in  the 
Jews  of  today  is  very  low.  Probably  no  important  European 
race  is  as  pure. 

But  common  race  is  only  one  of  the  elements  which  de 
termine  nationality.  Conscious  community  of  sentiments, 
common  experiences,  common  qualities  are  equally,  perhaps 
more,  important.  Religion,  traditions  and  customs  bound  us 
together  though  scattered  throughout  the  world.  The  simil- 
arity of  experiences  tended  to  produce  similarity  of  qualities 
and  community  of  sentiments.  Common  suffering  so  intensi- 
fied the  feeling  of  brotherhood  as  to  overcome  largely  all  the 
influences  making  for  diversification.  The  segregation  of  the 
Jews  was  so  general,  so  complete,  and  so  long  continued  as 
to  intensify  our  "peculiarities"  and  make  them  almost  inerar 
dicable. 

A&sertion  of  Jewish  Nationality, 

We  recognize  that  with  each  child  the  aim  of  education 
should  be  to  develop  his  own  individuality,  not  to  make  him 
an  imitator,  not  to  assimilate  him  to  others.  Shall  we  fail 
to  recognize  this  truth  when  applied  to  whole  peoples?     And 

[7] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

what  people  in  the  world  has  shown  greater  individuality  thaa 
the  Jews?  Has  any  a  nobler  past?  Does  any  possess  com- 
mon ideas  better  worth  expressing?  Has  any  marked  traits 
worthier  of  development?  Of  all  the  peoples  in  the  world 
those  of  two  tiny  states  stand  preeminent  as  contributors  to 
our  present  civilization, — the  Greeks  and  the  Jews.  The  Jews 
ga.ve  to  the  world  its  three  greatest  religions,  reverence  for 
law,  and  the  highest  conceptions  of  morality.  Never  before 
has  the  value  of  our  contribution  been  so  generally  recognized. 
Our  teaching  of  brotherhood  and  righteousness  has,  under  the 
name  of  democracy  and  social  justice,  become  the  twentieth 
century  striving  of  America  and  of  western  Europe.  Our 
conception  of  law  is  embodied  in  the  American  constitutions 
which  proclaim  this  to  be  a  "government  of  laws  and  not 
of  men."  And  for  the  triumph  of  our  other  great  teaching 
— the  doctrine  of  peace,  this  cruel  war  is  paving  the  way. 

While  every  other  people  is  striving  for  development  by 
asserting  its  nationality,  and  a  great  war  is  making  clear  the 
\alue  of  small  nations,  shall  we  voluntarily  yield  to  anti- 
Semitism,  and  instead  of  solving  our  "problem"  end  it  by 
ignoble  suicide?  Surely  this  is  no  time  for  Jews  to  despair. 
Let  us  make  clear  to  the  world  that  we  too  are  a  nationality 
clamoring  for  equal  rights,  to  life  and  to  self-expression. 
That  tins  should  be  our  course  has  been  recently  expressed 
by  high  non-Jewish  authority.  Thus  Seton-Watson,  speak- 
ing of  the  probable  results  of  the  war,  said: 

"There  are  good  grounds  for  hoping  that  it  (the  war) 
will  also  give  a  new  and  healthy  impetus  to  Jewish  national 
policy,  grant  freer  play  to  their  splendid  qualities,  and  en- 
able them  to  shake  ofF  the  false  shame  which  has  led  men 
who  ought  to  be  proud  of  their  Jewish  race  to  assume  so 
many  alien  disguises  and  to  accuse  of  anti-Semitism  those 
who  refuse  to  be  deceived  by  mere  appearances.  It  is  high 
time  that  the  Jews  should  realize  that  few  things  do  mow 
to  foster  anti-Semitic  feeling  than  this  very  tendency  to  sail 
under  false  colors  and  conceal  their  true  identity.  The  Zion- 
ists and  the  orthodox  Jewish  Nationalists  have  long  ago  won 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  world.  No  race  has  ever 
defied  assimilation  so  stubbornly  and  so  successfully;  and  the 
modern  tendency  of  individual  Jews  to  repudiate  what  is  one 
of  their  chief  glories  suggests  an  almost  comic  resolve  to 
fight  against  the  course  of  nature." 

[8] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 


Zionism, 


Standing  upon  this  broad  foundation  of  nationality, 
Zionism  aims  to  give  it  full  development.  Let  ua  bear  clearly 
in  mind  what  Zionism  is,  or  rather  what  it  is  not. 

It  is  not  a  movement  to  remove  all  the  Jews  of  the  world 
compulsorily  to  Palestine.  In  the  first  place  there  are  14,- 
000.000  Jews,  and  Palestine  would  not  accommodate  more 
than  one-fifth  of  that  number.  In  the  second  place,  it  is  not 
a  movement  to  compel  anyone  to  go  to  Palestine.  It  is  es- 
sentkliy  a  movement  to  give  to  the  Jew  more,  not  less  free- 
doms-it aims  to  enable  the  Jews  to  exercise  the  same  righty 
now  exercised  by  practically  every  other  people  in  the  world. 
To  live  at  their  option  either  in  the  land  of  their  fathers  or 
in  some  other  country";  a  right  which  members  of  small 
nations  88  well  as  of  large, — which  Irish,  Greek,  Bulgarian, 
Servian,  or  Belgian,  may  now  exercise  as  fully  as  German*) 
or  English. 

\  Zionism  seeks  to  establish  in  Palestine,  for  such  Jews  as 
choose  to  go  and  remain  there,  and  for  their  descendants,  a 
legally  securedjaome,  where  they  may  live  together  and  lead 
a  Jewish  lifefwhere  they  may  expect  ultimately  to  constitute 
a  majority  of  the  population,  and  may  look  forward  to  what 
we  should  call  home  rule/ .The  Zionists  seek  to  establish  this 
home  in  Palestine  because  they  are  convinced  that  the  undy- 
ing longing  of  Jews  for  Palestine  is  a  fact  of  deepest  signific- 
ance; that  it  is  a  manifestation  in  the  struggle  for  existence 
by  an  ancient  people  which  had  established  its  right  to  live 
— a  people  whose  three  thousand  years  of  civilization  has  pro- 
duced a  faith,  culture,  and  individuality  which  enable  them 
to  contribute  largely  in  the  future,  as  they  had  in  the  pasl, 
to  the  advance  of  civilization ;  and  that  it  is  not  a  right  mere- 
ly, but  a  duty  of  the  Jewish  nationality  to  survive  and  develop. 
They  believe  that  there  only  can  Jewish  life  be  fully  pro- 
tected from  the  forces  of  disintegration ;  that  there  alone  can 
the  Jewish  spirit  reach  its  full  and  natural  development;  and 
that  by  securing  for  those  Jews  who  wish  to  settle  in  Pal- 
estine the  opportunity  to  do  so,  not  only  those  Jews,  but  all 
other  .lews  will  be  benefited  and  that  the  long  perplexing  Jew- 
ish Problem  will,  at  last,  find  solution. 

They  believe  that  to  accomplish  this,  it  is  not  necessary 

r  o  "I 

L    v   J 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

that  the  Jewish  population  of  Palestine  be  large  as  compared 
wilh  the  whole  number  of  Jews  in  the  world;  for  throughout 
centuries  when  the  Jewish  influence  was  greatest, — during 
the  Persian,  the  Greek,  and  the  Roman  Empires,  only  a  rela- 
tively small  part  of  the  Jews  lived  in  Palestine;  and  only  a 
small  part  of  the  Jews  returned  from  Babylon  when  the  Tem- 
ple -was  rebuilt. 

v  Since  the  destruction  of  the  Temple,  nearly  two  thousand 
years  ago,  the  longing  for  Palestine  has  been  ever  present 
with  the  Jew.  It  was  the  hope  of  a  return  to  the  land  of 
his  fathers  that  buoyed  up  the  Jew  amidst  persecution,  and 
for  the  realization  of  which  the  devout  ever  prayed.  Until  a 
generation  ago  this  was  a  hope  merely — a  wish  piously  prayed 
for,  but  not  worked  for.  The  Zionist  movement  is  idealistic, 
but  it  is  also  essentially  practical.  It  seeks  to  realize  that 
hope;  to  make  the  dream  of  a  Jewish  life  in  a  Jewish  land 
come  true  as  other  great  dreams  of  the  world  have  been  real- 
ized— by  men  working  with  devotion,  intelligence,  and  self- 
sacrifice.  It  was  thus  that  the  dream  of  Italian  independence 
and  unity,  after  centuries  of  vain  hope,  came  true  through  the 
efforts  of  Mazzini,  Garibaldi  and  Cavour;  that  the  dream  of 
Greek;  of  Bulgarian  and  of  Servian  independence  became 
facts:  that  the  dream  of  home  rule  in  Ireland  has  just  been 
realized. 

Zionism  a  Fact. 

The  rebirth  of  the  Jewish  nation  is  no  longer  a  mere 
dream.  It  is  in  process  of  accomplishment  in  a  most  prac- 
tical way,  and  the  story  is  a  wonderful  one.  A  generation 
ago  a  few  Jewish  emigrants  from  Russia  and  from  Roumania, 
instead  of  proceeding  westward  to  this  hospitable  country 
where  they  might  easily  have  secured  material  prosperity, 
turned  eastward  for  the  purpose  of  settling  in  the  land  of 
their  fathers. 

To  the  worldly  wise  these  efforts  at  colonization  appeared 
very  foolish.  Nature  and  man  presented  obstacles  in  Pal- 
estine which  appeared  almost  insuperable;  and  the  colonist3 
were  in  fact  ill-equipped  for  their  task,  save  in  their  spirit  of 
devotion  and  self-sacrifice.  The  land,  harassed  by  centuries 
of  misrule,  was  treeless  and  apparently  sterile;  and  it  was 
infested    with    malaria.     The   Government  offered  them  no 

[10] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

security,  either  as  to  life  or  property.  The  colonists  them- 
selves were  not  only  unfamiliar  with  the  character  of  the 
country,  but  were  ignorant  of  the  farmer's  life  which  they 
proposed  to  lead;  for  the  Jews  of  Russia  and  Roumania  had 
been  generally  denied  the  opportunity  of  owning  or  working 
land.  Furthermore,  these  colonists  wrere  not  inured  to  the 
physical  hardships  to  which  the  life  of  a  pioneer  is  necessarily 
subjected.  To  these  hardships  and  to  malaria  many  suc- 
cumbed. Those  who  survived  were  long  confronted  with 
failure.  But  at  last  success  came.  Within  a  generation  these 
Jf.wish  Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  those  who  followed  them,  have 
succeeded  in  establishing  these  two  fundamental  propositions: 

First:     That  Palestine  is  fit  for  the  modern  Jew. 

Second:     That  the  modern  Jew  is  fit  for  Palestine. 

Nearly  fifty  self-governing  Jewish  colonies  attest  to  this 
remarkable  achievement. 

This  land,  treeless  a  generation  ago,  supposed  to  be  ster- 
ile and  hopelessly  arid,  has  been  shown  to  have  been  treeless 
and  sterile  only  because  of  man's  misrule.  It  has  been  shown 
to  be  capable  of  becoming  again  a  land  "flowing  with  milk 
and  honey."  Oranges  and  grapes,  olives  and  almonds,  wheat 
and  other  cereals  are  now  growing  there  in  profusion. 

This  material  development  has  been  attended  by  a  spir- 
itual and  social  development  no  less  extraordinary;  a  develop- 
ment in  education,  in  health  and  in  social  order;  and  in  th6 
character  and  habits  of  the  population.  /Perhaps  the  most 
extraordinary  achievement  of  Jewish  nationalism  is  the  re- 
vival of  the  Hebrew  Language,  which  has  again  become  a 
language  of  the  common  intercourse  of  men.|  The  Hebrew 
tongue,  called  a  dead  language  for  nearly  two  thousand  years, 
has,  in  the  Jewish  colonies  and  in  Jerusalem,  become  again 
the  living  mother-tongue.  The  effect  of  this  common  lan- 
guage in  vm^f^n^jhejews  is,  of  course,  great;  for  the  Jews 
of  Palestine  came  lirerally  from  all  the  lands  of  the  earth, 
each  speaking,  except  for  the  use  of  Yiddish,  the  language 
of  the  country  from  which  he  came,  and  remaining  in  the 
m&in,  almost  a  stranger  to  the  others.  But  the  effect  of  the 
renaissance  of  the  Hebrew  tongue  is  far  greater  than  that  of 
unifying  the  Jews.  It  is  a  potent  factor  in  reviving  the  es- 
sentially Jewish  spirit. 

Our  Jewish  Pilgrim  Fathers  have  laid  the  foundation. 
It  remains  for  us  to  build  the  superstructure. 

[ii] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 


Zionism  and  Patriotism.         dc^t/V^K^    V&w 


Let  no  American  imagine  that  Zionism  is  inconsistent 
with  Patriotism.  Multiple  loyalties  are  objectionable  only  ' 
if  they  are  inconsistent.  A  man  is  a  better  citizen  of  the 
Ignited  States  for  being  also  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  state,  and 
of  his  city;  for  being  loyal  to  his  family,  and  to  his  profes- 
sion or  trade;  for  being  loyal  to  his  college  or  his  lodge. 
Every  Irish  American  who  contributed  towards  advancing 
home  mle  was  a  better  man  and  a  belter  American  for  the 
sacrifice  he  made.  /Every  American  Jew  who  aids  in  advanc- 
ing the  .Jewish  settlement  in  Palestine,  though  he  feels  that  , 
neither  he  nor  his  descendants  will  ever  live  there,  will  like- 
wise be  a  better  man  and  a  better  American  for  doing  so./ 

Note  what  Seton-Watson  says: 

"America  is  full  of  nationalities  which,  while  accepting 
with  enthusiasm  their  new  American  citizenship,  nevertheless 
look  to  some  centre  in  the  old  world  as  the  source  and  in- 
spiration of  their  national  culture  and  traditions.  The^mcst  V 
typical  instance  is  the  feeling  of  the  American  Jew  for  Pal- 
estine which  may  well  become  a  focus  for  his  declasse  kins- 
men in  other  parts  of  the  world."  { 

I  There  is  no  inconsistency  between  loyalty  to  America 
and  loyalty  to  Jewry.  The  Jewish  spirit,  the  product  of  our 
religion  and  experiences,  is  essentially  modern  and  essentially 
American.  Not  since  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  have  the  * 
Jews  in  spirit  and  in  ideals  been  so  fully  in  harmony  with 
the  noblest  aspirations  of  the  country  in  which  they  lived,   t 

America's  fundamental  law  seeks  to  make  real  the  broth- 
erhood of  man.  That  brotherhood  became  the  Jewish  funda- 
mental law  more  than  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago.  Am- 
erica's insistent  demand  in  the  twentieth  century  is  for  social 
justice.  That  also  has  been  the  Jews'  striving  for  ages.  Their 
affliction  as  well  as  their  religion  has  prepared  the  Jews  for 
effective  democracy,  i  Persecution  broadened  their  sympathies; 
it  trained  them  in  patient  endurance,  in  self-control,  and  in 
sacrifice.  It  made  them  think  as  well  as  suffer.  It  deepened 
the  passion  for  righteousness. 

I  Indeed,   loyalty   to    America    demands   rather   that   each 
American  Jew  become  a  Zionist.     For  only  through  the  en-     v 
nobling  effect  of  its  strivings  enn  we  develop  the  best  that 

[12] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

is  In  us  and  give  to  this  country  the  full  benefit  of  our  great 
inheritance.  The  Jewish  spirit,  so  long  preserved,  the  char- 
acter developed  by  so  many  centuries  of  sacrifice,  should  be 
preserved  and  developed  further,  so  that  in  America  as  else- 
where the  sons  of  the  race  may  in  future  live  lives  and  do- 
deeds  worthy  of  their  ancestors./ 

America  8  Demand. 

But  we  have  also  an  immediate  and  more  pressing  duty 
in  the  performance  of  which  Zionism  alone  seems  capable 
of  affording  effective  aid.  /We  must  protect  America  and 
ourselves  from  demoralization,  which  has  to  some  extent  al- 
ready set  in  among  American  Jews./  The  cause  of  this  de- 
moralizaiion  is  clear.  It  results,  in  large  part,  from  the  fact 
that  in  our  land  of  liberty  all  the  restraints  by  which  the 
Jews  were  protected  in  their  Ghettos  were  removed  and  a 
new  generation  left  without  necessary  moral  and  spiritual 
support/  And  is  it  not  equally  clear  w7hat  the  only  possible 
remedy  is?  !  It  is  the  laborious  task  of  inculcating  self-respect, 
— a  task  which  can  be  accomplished  only  by  restoring  the- 
ties  of  the  Jew  to  the  noble  past  of  his  race,  and  by  making 
him  realize  the  possibilities  of  a  no  less  glorious  future.*  The 
sole  bulwark  against  demoralization  is  to  develop  in  each  new 
generation  of  Jews  in  America  the  sense  of  "Noblesse  oblige. " 
That  spirit  can  be  developed  in  those  who  regard  their  race 
as  destined  to  live  and  to  live  with  a  bright  future.  )  That 
spirit  can  best  be  developed  by  actively  participating  in  some 
way  in  furthering  the  ideals  of  the  Jewish  renaissance;  and 
this  can  be  done  effectively  only  through  furthering  the  Zion- 
ist movement. 

In  the  Jewish  colonies  of  Palestine  there  are  no  Jewish 
criminals;  because  everyone,  old  and  young  alike,  is  led  to 
feel  the  glory  of  his  race  and  his  obligation  to  carry  forward 
its  ideals.  The  new  Palestinian  Jewry  produces  instead  of 
criminals,  great  scientists  like  Aaron  Aaronsohn,  the  discov- 
erer of  wild  wheat;  great  pedagogues  like  David  Yellin; 
craftsmen  like  Boris  Schatz,  the  founder  of  the  Bezalel:  in- 
trepid Shomerim,  the  Jewish  guards  of  peace,  who  watch  in 
the  night  against  marauders  and  doers  of  violent  deeds. 

And  the  Zionist  movement  has  brought  like  inspiration 
to  the  Jews  in  the  Diaspora,  as  Steed  has  shown  in  this  strik- 
ing passage  from  "The  Hapsburg  Monarchy": 

[13] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

"To  minds  like  these  Zionism  came  with  the  force 
of  an  evangel.  To  be  a  Jew  and  to  be  proud  of  it;  to  j 
glory  in  the  power  and  pertinacity  of  the  race,  its  tradi- 
tions, its  triumphs,  its  sufferings,  its  resistance  to  persecu- 
tion; to  look  the  world  frankly  in  the  face  and  to  enjoy 
the  luxury  of  moral  and  intellectual  honesty ;  to  feel  pride 
in  belonging  to  the  people  that  gave  Christendom  its 
divinities,  that  taught  half  the  world  monotheism,  whose 
ideas  have  permeated  civilization  as  never  the  ideas  of  a 
race  before  it,  whose  genius  fashioned  the  whole  mech- 
anism of  modern  commerce,  and  whose  artists,  actors, 
singers  and  writers  have  filled  a  larger  place  in  the  cul- 
tured universe  than  those  of  any  other  people.  This,  or 
something  like  this,  was  the  train  of  thought  fired  in 
youthful  Jewish  minds  by  the  Zionist  spark.  Its  effect 
upon  the  Jewish  students  of  Austrian  universities  was 
immediate  and  striking.  Until  then  they  had  been  de- 
spised and  often  ill-treated.  They  had  wormed  their  way 
into  appointments  and  into  the  free  professions  by  dint 
of  pliancy,  mock  humility,  mental  acuteness,  and  clan- 
destine protection.  If  struck  or  spat  upon  by  'Aryan* 
students,  they  rarely  ventured  to  return  the  blow  or  the 
insult.  But  Zionism  gave  them  courage.  They  formed 
associations,  and  learned  athletic  drill  and  fencing.  In- 
sult was  requited  with  insult,  and  presently  the  best 
fencers  of  the  fighting  German  corps  found  that  Zionist 
students  could  gash  cheeks  quite  as  effectually  as  any 
Teuton,  and  that  the  Jews  were  in  a  fair  way  to  become 
the  btst  swordsmen  of  the  university.  Today  the  purple 
cap  of  the  Zionist  is  as  respected  as  that  of  any  academ- 
ical association. 

"This  moral  influence  of  Zionism  is  not  confined  to 
university  students.  It  is  quite  as  noticeable  among  the 
mass  of  the  younger  Jews  outside,  who  also  find  in  it  a 
reason  to  raise  their  heads,  and,  taking  their  stand  upon 
the  past,  to  gaze  straightforwardly  into  the  future." 

Our  Duty. 

Since  the  Jewish  Problem  is  single  and  universal,  the  Jews 
of  every  country  should  strive  for  its  solution.  But  the  duty) 
resting  upon  us  of  America  is  especially  insistent.     We  num- 

[14] 


HOW  TO  SOLVE  IT 

ber  abou*  3,000,000,  which  is  more  than  one-fifth  of  all  the 
Jews  in  the  world: — a  number  larger  than  that  comprised 
within  any  other  country,  except  the  Russian  Empire.  We 
are  representative  of  all  the  Jews  in  the  world;  for  we  are  com- 
posed of  immigrants,  or  descendants  of  immigrants  coming 
from  every  other  country,  or  district.  We  include  persons 
from  every  section  of  society,  and  of  every  shade  of  religious 
belief.  We  are  ourselves  free  from  civil  or  political  disabili- 
ties; and  are  relatively  prosperous.  Our  fellow  Americans 
are  infused  with  a  high  and  generous  spirit,  which  insures 
approval  of  our  struggle  to  ennoble,  liberate,  and  otherwise  im- 
prove the  condition  of  an  important  part  of  the  human  race; 
ant1  their  innate  manliness  makes  them  sympathize  particular- 
ly with  our  efforts  at  self  help.  /  America's  detachment  from 
the  old  world  problem  relieves  us  from  suspicions  and  embar- 
rassments frequently  attending  the  activities  of  Jews  of  rival 
European  countries.  And  a  conflict  between  American  inter- 
ests or  ambitions  and  Jewish  aims  is  not  conceivable.  Our 
loyally  to  America  can  never  be  questioned.  I 

Let  us  therefore  lead — earnestly,  courageously  and  joyously 
in  the  struggle  for  liberation.  Let  us  all  recognize  that  we  Jews 
are  a  distinct  nationality  of  which  every  Jew,  whatever  his 
lOuntry,  his  station  or  shade  of  belief  is  necessarily  a  member. 
Let  us  insist  that  the  struggle  for  liberty  shall  not  cease  until 
equality  of  opportunity  is  accorded  to  nationalities  a3  to  in- 
dividuals. J  Let  us  insist  also  that  full  equality  of  opportunity 
cannot  be  obtained  by  Jews  until  we,  like  members  of  other 
nationalities  shall  have  the  option  of  living  elsewhere  or  of 
returning  to  the  land  of  our  forefathers.  , 

Organization. 

The  fulfilment  of  these  aspirations  is  clearly  demanded  in 
the  interest  of  mankind,  as  well  as  in  justice  to  the  Jews.  They 
cannot  fail  of  attainment  if  we  are  united  and  true  to  our- 
selves. But  we  must  be  united  not  only  in  spirit  but  in  action. 
To  this  end  we  must  organize.  Organize,  in  the  first  place,  so 
that  the  world  may  have  proof  of  the  extent  and  the  intensity 
of  our  desire  for  liberty.  Organize  in  the  second  place — so 
that  our  resources  may  become  known  and  be  made  available. 
But  in  mobilizing  our  forces  it  will  not  be  for  war.  The  whole 
world  longs  for  the  solution  of  the  Jewish  Problem.    We  have 

[15] 


THE  JEWISH  PROBLEM: 

but  to  lead  the  way,  and  we  may  be  sure  of  ample  co-operation 
from  non-Jews.  In  order  to  lead  the  way,  we  need  not  arms, 
but  men ;  men  with  those  qualities  for  which  Jews  should  he 
peculiarly  fitted  by  reason  of  their  religion  and  life:  men  of 
courage,  of  high  intelligence,  of  faith  and  public  spirit,  of 
indomitable  will  and  ready  self-sacrifice;  men  who  will  both 
think  and  do;  who  will  devote  high  abilities  to  shaping  our 
course,  and  to  overcoming  the  many  obstacles  which  must 
from  time  to  time  arise.  And  we  need  other,  many,  many 
other  men — officers  commissioned  and  non-commissioned, 
and  common  soldiers  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  who  will 
give  of  their  effort  and  resources,  as  occasion  may 
demand,  in  unfailing  and  ever  strengthening  .  support  of 
the  measures  which  may  be  adopted.  Organization,  thorough 
and  complete,  can  alone  develop  such  leaders  and  the  neces- 
sary support. 

Organize,  Organize,  Organize, — until  every  Jew  in  Ameri- 
ca must  stand  up  and  be  counted — counted  with  us — or  prove 
himself,  wittingly  or  unwittingly,  of  the  few  who  are  against 
their  own  people. 


[16] 


I" 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 
Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  priod  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

REC'D  ID    MAY     8  7?  -9  AW  6  0 


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